1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to transportation of cargo by aircraft and, more particularly, to fuselage structures in cargo aircraft.
2. Background
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
When cargo is transported via aircraft, small, specialized pallets and/or cargo containers are generally used in loading the cargo, supporting the cargo during flight, and unloading the cargo at its destination. Many, if not most, of these pallets and/or containers are used only for air transport and are not used in connection with other modes of cargo transport. The cost of transferring cargo between surface transport modes (truck, trains, etc.) and the foregoing aircraft pallets and containers can add substantially to the total cost of transport.
Generally, when aircraft pallets and containers are loaded into an aircraft fuselage, the fuselage structure must support each pallet at small, approximately regular intervals across the length and breadth of its underside. In addition to providing support, existing cargo airplane fuselage structures need to provide structural stability. Most aircraft fuselage structures of the commonly-used “semi-monocoque” type have a skin forming the outer surface of the aircraft. Stringers and frames are typically added to stabilize the skin. Also, the skin itself typically is thickened, or stiffened, to avoid buckling under some load conditions. Adding stabilizing elements and/or stiffeners, however, adds weight to a fuselage structure and is expensive and time-consuming.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that may overcome one or more of the issues described above, as well as other possible issues.